Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-03-30
The Republican Leaders Uneasy.


The Republican leaders are beginning
to think seriously OF the next Presidential
campaign. They talk rather confidently
OF winning 1t, but they are far from being
confident. There are many indications
that they are not at all hopeful OF sue
cess. They have been counting on Demo-
cratic mistakes to help them, but the
mistakes have been fev and far between.
Even extreme Republican papers admit
that Mr.. Cleveland's administration has
been very satisfactory. They cannot
avoid seeing that the Democratic party
has secured stronger hold upon the con-
tidence OF the public than it had when it
took control of the government two years
ago.
There was one thing that eXerted pow
eriul influence in the last national cam
paign that Will be absent in the next. 1t
was feeling in the North that the South
could not be trusted. The Republican
leaders encouraged this feeling and did
their best to strengthen the impression
that if the D mocrats got control Of the
government the South would run things
pretty much to suit itself, and that in DO
Southern State would there be such a
thing as free ballot. There were thou
sands Of people all over the North who
firmly believed that the triumph Of the
Democratic party meant the ascendency
OF the South In the affairs of the
government. which would be productive
of unrest and uncertainty. There Is no
longer any belief of this sort at the North,
and the Republican party in the next
campaign Will hardly make so great a
mistake as to talk of southern dislOy-
atty" southern outrages," and that sort
of stuff. The Northern people now know
that the aims of the South are all towards
the development OF her agricultural and
mineral resources and the building up Of
her industrial interests. They also know
that the Democratic party is to be trusted
to inaugurate ana carry to success re-
forms that are needed In the government,
and that the South Is heartily in favor
of these reforms.
The speech that Senator Sherman made
at Cincinnati on his return from his trip
through the South indicated pretty clear
ly that in his opinion the Republican
party has nothing more to gain by wav-
ing the ''boody Shirt and that Its true
policy now is to try and gain foot
hold in the South by vigorous advocacy
0. its protective tariff policy.
With prospect OF dividing the South
that is about hopeless and with the
knowledge that attacks upon the South
are no longer available for strengthening
their party in the North, 1t is not to be
wondered at that the Re-
publican leaders regard the outlook for
Republican success in 1888 as rather
gloomy. They cannot expect anything
more from Mr.. Blaine's leadership than
was gained by it in 1884. Indeed, they
have the best of reasons for thinking that
he has lost ground since then, because
the fears of the North respecting the pur-
poses ofthe South which he depended upon
so much In 1894 no longer exist. II Mr..
Blaine is abandoned there is no other can
didate the Republican party can nomi-
nate who is capable of inspiring it with
the hope Of victory. 1t is not surprising,
therefore, that the Republican leaders re-
gard the approach of the Presidential !
campaign with feelings Of uneasiness and
uncertainty.